YEP Letters: May 25

Tributes to Leeds poppy seller, aged 103

A Leeds man thought to be Britain’s oldest poppy seller has died at the age of 103. Ernest Carr - who was a member of the Guiseley branch of the Royal British Legion - was often seen standing in Morrison’s supermarket in Yeadon raising funds for the armed forces. Mr Carr served with the 59th Reconnaissance Regiment and landed in Normandy soon after D-Day in June 1944. YEP readers have paid tribute to Mr Carr on social media. Here are some of their comments..

Sarah Friskney

Bless him! I loved him so much and so pleased he had so much time with his great granddaughter. We’ve been blessed x.

Kate Sherwood

He was on BBC news this morning too. What a lovely gentleman, you must all be extremely proud. So sorry for your loss x

Victoria Wilde

Myself and my children had the pleasure and privilege to have this true gentleman as our close neighbour.

He was always at the window in a morning giving the girls a cheery wave as we went to school.

He was always ready with the Easter eggs and pack of sweeties as the girls delivered his dinner.

Ernest described himself as a lucky man but I believe his friends, family and anyone else who had the honour of knowing him were the lucky ones.

We will miss you dearly, RIP xxx

Harry Sutcliffe

RIP. The whole world salutes you and thanks you, sir. God bless you. We shall remember.

Shirley Clubb

Sad news he’s passed but what a top guy. RIP.

Paul Macdonald

It’s a celebration of life. Bless him. RIP.

Pat Lees

RIP and we thank you for what you gave for your country.

Christine Aberdein

Rest in peace, you were a true hero.

Lyn Facey

Blessings old soldier, rest now.

Isabella Ann Cunningham Jenkinson

R.I.P. sir, utmost respect to you. Lest we forget.

Patsy Charter

God bless you, Ernest. Rest in peace x

Pat Olbison Barrow

RIP duty done xx

Michael Pearson

RIP to a hero.

Brexit and parliamentary democracy

Mike Harwood, Leeds 5

Those who support the Brexiteers in their headlong rush regardless to break from Europe should pause for a moment and at least understand what they are supporting, what they are threatening and what they are not defending.

1: It is strongly arguable that our parliamentary democracy was a significant factor in our readiness and success in standing up to the racism and fascism of Hitler and Mussolini.

2: It could properly be said that that this democracy and our freedom today from such totalitarian control was rooted in the Civil War in the seventeenth century which cost us, in proportion to the then existing population, more lives than the trenches of the Western Front in the First World War.

3: That parliamentary democracy, so honourably fought for, today includes two fundamental principles, principles which these brexiteers are trying to ignore: (a) the sovereignty of parliament.

Parliament cannot bind itself irrevocably for the future. We change our minds from time to time in our domestic lives; parliament likewise can decide to amend or revoke an earlier parliament’s enactments/statutes/policies; all the more so earlier referenda. Think about it, Brexiteers. If it were otherwise, today women might not have the vote, the Tower would still serve its earlier purpose as the path from imprisonment to headlessness on Tower Hill and there could be a ducking stool in every village.

(b) Our parliamentary government is today based on the principle, going back to the 18th century, that we are governed by a Cabinet led by a Prime Minister with the support of Parliament.

Fundamental to that is that the Cabinet speaks and governs with one voice, that if the Cabinet is not so united in its governance, members arguing against each other in public for contrary policies, 
the government resigns and 
in an election invites the country to decide which policy it wants.

Today, May’s government is not speaking with one voice, on the contrary it is behaving like a group of spoilt and squabbling brats.

So May’s government is in a mess (a mess arguably more serious for our futures than any of Trump’s maverick posturing).

It should resign and call an election, allow the country to decide whether it still wants exit from Europe (now at least knowing just what such an exit might entail), if it does, then whether a ‘hard’, ‘soft’ or exactly what sort of exit it wants.

NHS cut to bone

A Hague, Leeds

THE way we dish out money works in mysterious ways.

The NHS has been cut to the bone, yet we read that the University of Leeds is getting £4.4m – including a £1.75m textile innovation centre. The reasons seem reasonable, yet everything else must suffer. hat old saying the left hand has no idea what the right hand is doing rings true.

Health funding

Tarquin Holman, Farsley.

OUR NHS is in an underfunding crisis due owing to “limited resources”. How costly are the “outdated”, worthless local council elections?

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